KZBlog

Today is the 65th anniversary of the surrender of Nazi Germany in World War II or the Great Patriotic War. Victory in Europe Day is celebrated on the 8th of May, but the former Soviet countries celebrate Victory Day on the 9th of May. Apparently Stalin insisted that because the Soviet Union had contributed more to the victory over Germany than the other Allied Forces. So the surrender in Reims (on the 7th of May 1945, to take effect the next day), where the only Soviet representative was General Ivan Susloparov, the Military Liaison Mission Commander, was not considered valid by Stalin. Instead on the 8th of May in Berlin (already the 9th of May in Moscow), German Field-Marshal Wilhelm Keitel surrendered the Wehrmacht to Marshal of the Soviet Union Georgy Zhukov. Hence the West and the USSR celebrated two different victories. And of course the US also commemorates Victory in Japan Day (August 14) whereas the Soviets were not involved in the war in the Pacific.

All of this should illustrate just how differently the war was viewed on both sides of the Iron Curtain, and differences strongly persist. Nevertheless, the Great War had a strong influence on the whole world and we should acknowledge the contributions of all those who fought against Fascism and gave their lives for freedom.